It's a girl!Staff scientist Russ Scott and his wife, Robin Kropp, welcomed Kendall Verde Scott into this world on April 8th, 2006. She was 7 lbs 8 oz, and now 4 months later has nearly doubled her weight and is growing like a mesquite.

Mark Nearing’s work on a rare-earth approach to tracing soil erosion was recently reported in the ARS News and Events.Check it out at

Dr. Terrence J. Toy, a frequent collaborator with staff members at the WatershedResearchCenter (also a Sabbatical Visiting Scientist at SWRC) has recently retired from the Geography Department at the University of Denver in Denver, CO. Dr. Toy and his wife will be moving to Buffalo, NY, the area from which Terry originated. He will be missed by his associates in Tucson.

Dr. Kenneth G. Renard, former Center Research Leader and Volunteer since his 1996 retirement has now recovered from his one month hospital period when he suffered with renal and lung failure. Ken states that he appreciates all the cards and best wishes received during his illness.He is now on a schedule of frequent trips to the office and collaboration with his associates.

Adolfo Diaz Gutierrez from Cordoba University, Spain, is visiting Dr. Susan Moran at SWRC for the summer.As a PhD. student at the Hydraulics Engineering Department, his research is focused on the estimation of rainfall interception loss at basin scale integrating remote sensing information for vegetation analysis.His main objective during his stay at SWRC is applying the interception loss model at Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed to obtain maps of the real rainfall reaching the soil, and using them as input in a rainfall-runoff model in order to validate with available flow experimental data.Contact: adoladol@hotmail.com

The SWRC is pleased to welcome Catlow Shipek back to Tucson after a year long global tour of soil and water conservation projects. Catlow has accepted a Hydrologic Technician position with the SWRC and is working with Mary Nichols on erosion and sedimentation research projects. He has been spending a lot of time in the field chasing storms, keeping instruments running, and measuring sediment.

FUTURE SCIENCE EVENTS

SWRC will be hosting the upcoming meeting “Assessment of Field and Laboratory Techniques for Sediment Source Identification at Watershed Scales” at SWRC, Tucson, AZ September 11-13, 2006.The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the status of this important area of research in terms of approaches being utilized, current level of technology, and future research needs. The topics of discussion will include: soil geomorphological aspects of sediment source identification; tracer/fingerprinting methods for identifying sources areas; sediment budget contributions to source areaidentification; and sediment source prediction methods.The program will include two days of meetings and a day touring the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in Tombstone, AZ.For more information contact:Mark Nearing, USDA-ARS, Southwest Watershed Research Center, 2000 Allen Rd., Tucson, AZ 85719; phone: 520-670-6481 x152; email: mnearing@tucson.ars.ag.gov , orFred Rhoton, USDA-ARS, National Sedimentation Laboratory, 598 McElroy Dr., Oxford, MS 38655; phone: 662-232-2938; email: frhoton@ars.usda.gov.

It’s time for the third annual Research Insights in Semiarid Environments (RISE) Symposium.The objectives of the symposium are to share recent results of scientific research at the USDA-ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) and the University of Arizona Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER), to encourage future research activities at the WGEW and the SRER, and to promote the WGEW and the SRER as outdoor scientific laboratories.RISE is scheduled for Saturday, 7 October 2006, 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, with lunch and poster session from 11:00 to 1:00 PM, at University of Arizona Marley Auditorium (Room 230), Tucson, Arizona.Registration is $7 for students; $20 for all others (lunch included).Find out more by visiting the conference webpage athttp://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/rise .

The Arizona chapter of the Society for Range Management will hold its annual summer meeting in Cochise County August 17-19. The meeting will include a tour of the Walnut Gulch Watershed, as well as stops to look at brush and ersion control treatments.

AWARDS

Dr. Ray Jackson, Retired ARS Scientist from the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory in Phoenix (recently relocated to Maricopa AZ and renamed U.S. Arid-land Agriculture Research Center) was selected for the ARS Hall of Fame.He was recognized “for elucidating the basis of soil-plant-water-atmosphere relationships, and developing innovative methods to assess and manage crop status though remote sensing.”Ray has been a mentor for and collaborator with many SWRC Scientists for many years and has left an enduring legacy of students and colleagues.Ray will be inducted at a ceremony in Beltsville, MD on September 13, 2006.

POSITION VACANCY

Research Plant Physiologist/Soil Scientist/Hydrologist(GS-11/12/13)SalaryRange of $51,972 to $96,292

DRAFT

The Southwest Watershed Research Center, Tucson, AZ, is seeking a permanent full-time scientist to: (1) develop science to determine sustainable land use and management practices with regard to soil and other watershed resources; (2) incorporate new technologies (e.g. remote sensing techniques, GIS, etc.) into natural resource models and field measurements; (3) develop algorithms for plant and soil components of computer simulation models to assess soil sustainability; and (4) publish and present findings of research. For details and application directions, see www.afm.ars.usda.gov/jobs/announcement- number.htm ARS-X6W-0318. To have a printed copy mailed, call 520-670-6481 ext. 126. U.S. citizenship is required. Announcement closes 10/31/2006. USDA/ARS is an equal opportunity employer and provider.